1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gripping devices for hood prop rods and, more particularly, to heat-isolating gripping devices which snap on to hood prop rods.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known in the art, automobiles are equipped with hoods which cover the engine compartment of the automobile. The hoods are designed to be opened for inspection, maintenance, or repair of various parts in the engine compartment and are typically secured open with support or prop rods.
Commonly, a prop rod is an elongated metal structure which is pivotally mounted at one end to a portion of the automobile inside the engine compartment and detachably secured at the other end to another portion of the automobile. When the hood is to be propped open, a person grips the prop rod near the detachable end and detaches the end of the prop rod from the automobile and hooks it to the opened hood in a manner to support the hood in the open position.
In certain engine compartment lay-outs, especially in the newer automobile models which have smaller engine compartments than previous models, the hood prop rods are heated significantly by the engine during operation. For example, prop rods have been known to reach temperatures of up to about 185.degree. F. after operating the automobile.
Needless to say, a person gripping such a hot prop rod would experience burns to the hands or fingers. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a device which isolates the heat of a hot prop rod from a user's hand.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a hood prop rod gripping device which isolates a user's hand from the heat of a hot prop rod.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hood prop rod gripping device which is easily and securably attachable to a hood prop rod.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hood prop rod gripping device which is easy and economical to manufacture and is formed of high-temperature-resistant material.